1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a stacker for storing bills, in particular, of the type wherein a lastly stored bill is visually observable from the outside of the stacker without unlocking the stacker.
2. Background of the Invention
There are various kinds of gaming machines installed in gambling accommodations, such as casinos so that the machines can be operated by the invested bills or tokens for the machines. Each gaming machine is equipped with a coin selector and a bill validator for checking authenticity of coin or tokens and bills inserted into the gaming machine. When the coin selector detects a true coin inserted or when the bill validator detects a true bill inserted, the gaming machine indicates on the display the number of BET corresponding to the amount of money charged.
When a user of the gaming machine suspects that the displayed amount of money or the BET number of the gaming machine is different from or unequal to the amount of money charged, the person asks a clerk in the casino to confirm whether the indication on the display is correct or incorrect. Every time users require, the clerk in charge must unlock locking devices of the gaming machine, open the door, take out the stacker from the gaming machine, and further unlock locking devices of the bill stacker to compare the lastly accumulated bill in the stacker with the indicated amount of money or BET value on the display. In this case, the clerk must show the user the bill stored at the top in the stacker for identification of the bill denomination. Also, the clerk must expose all the bills or a large amount of money used in the stacker to people around the gaming machine to show the user the bills in the stacker. Obviously, this means a very serious problem from the security viewpoint of the exposed bills. Also, in most cases, the access to the stacker in the gaming machine necessarily requires utilization of more than two kind of different keys usually had by different custodians who are summoned to the site each time users request. In fact, such request by users to confirm the once stacked bill in stackers reaches approximately ten times every day per shop, and therefore, the visual confirmation of the inserted bill is troublesome for the casinos.
An object of the present invention is to provide a bill stacker which allows to visually and easily observe the denomination of a bill stored in the stacker from the outside without unlocking the stacker.
The bill stacker according to the present invention comprises an encasement (50b) for forming a compartment (51) to store bills (1) therein; a cover (52) provided in the encasement (50b); and a window (70) provided in the encasement (50b) or cover (52) for visual observation of the bill (1) stacked at the top in the compartment (51) without unlocking the cover (52). The window (70) can allow to visually and rapidly observe and confirm the denomination of a bill at the top of the compartment (51) by a clerk and a user without unlocking the stacker. The term xe2x80x9ca billxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cbillsxe2x80x9d used herein includes a bank note or bank notes, currency, paper money and any other valuable papers.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the stacker may further comprises at least a spring (56) for resiliently urging the bill toward the rest position; a shifting means (72, 73) for moving bills accumulated in the compartment (51) away from the rest position against resilient force of the spring (56); and a hole means (71) for allowing the shifting means (72, 73) to move the bills from the outside of the encasement (50b). The manipulation of the shifting means (72, 73) can adjust the vertical level of the accumulated bills (1). Accordingly, although the stacker has its structure wherein the top bill in the compartment (51) cannot directly be observed from the window (70), the bills in the compartment (51) are movable from the rest position toward the compacted position against the resilient force of the spring (53) by applying an external force on the shifting means (72, 73) to show the denomination of the top bill for visual observation of the periphery of the bill.
Otherwise, the stacker may further comprises a pusher (30) disposed in the encasement (50b) for squeezing the bill into the compartment (51). The pusher (30) comprises a pushing plate (32) movable between the retracted position and the extended position. The pushing plate (32) has its length shorter than the length of the bill and its width shorter than the width of the bill to show a periphery of the top bill stacked in the compartment (51) out of the circumference of the pushing plate (32) when the pushing plate (32) is in contact with the top bill in the compartment (51). Accordingly, the clerk and user can confirm the denomination of the bill on the top in view of the periphery of the top bill out of the circumference of the pushing plate (32) in the rest position or moved position away from the rest position.
The pusher (30) comprises a pusher driver (30a) for moving the pushing plate (32) from the retracted position to the extended position to squeeze into the compartment (51) a paper conveyed in the encasement (50b) through an opening (50a).
A transparent member (74) is attached to the window (70) to observe the top bill from the outside of the encasement (50b) through the transparent member (74).
The shifting means (72) is a rod or bar which can be inserted from the outside through the hole means of a perforation (71) formed in the encasement (50b). The shifting means (73) is a handle (73) which has an inner end connected to the pushing plate (32), and an outer end protruding to the outside of the encasement (50b) through the hole means of a perforation (71). A backing plate (54) may be provided between the spring (56) and bills (1) so that the shifting means (73) is a handle which has an inner end connected to the backing plate (54) and an outer end protruding out of the encasement (50b) through the hole means (71) of a perforation.
An one-way clutch device is provided in the pusher (30) to carry out manual operation of the shifting means (72, 73) so that the bill is moved away from the rest position together with the shifting means (72, 13). Accordingly, the pushing plate (32) can manually be urged away from the rest position for visual confirmation without any obstacle by a drive mechanism for the pusher (30) including for example gears, rollers, and link members. When the locking means (75) is attached above the window (70) due to requirement in design, the window (70) is formed with the transparent member (74) vertically away from the locking means (75) provided in a cover (52) of the encasement (50b). However, the bill (1) at the top can be well visually confirmed through the window (70), by moving the bill (1) away from the rest position by the shifting means (72, 73).
The pushing plate (32) is formed with an opening (76) in alignment with the hole means (71) through which the shifting means (72) can be extended to move the bills away from the rest position without movement of the pushing plate (32) by the shifting means (72) passing through the hole means (71) and opening (76).